


Turn Your Magic On

by dls



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: 5+1, Canon Divergence - Post-Avengers (2012), Flirting, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Magic, Silly, Technology
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-19
Updated: 2017-06-19
Packaged: 2018-11-15 23:03:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11241117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dls/pseuds/dls
Summary: At first, Loki found Midgardians to be little better than cattle, walking in throngs with their faces bent downward at the smaller screens in their hands or eyes focused upward at the larger screens on display. He scoffed and pitied them for their distractible and susceptible nature. But...those screens were awfully pretty...Or: 5 Times Loki was Impressed by Midgardian Magic and the 1 Time He Impressed Tony Stark with His Own





	Turn Your Magic On

**Author's Note:**

> Fill for [this prompt](http://avengerkink.livejournal.com/21438.html?replyto=55048638).
> 
> References/Quotes:   
>  Title from "Adventure of a Lifetime" by Coldplay.

**One.**

Loki scowled as he considered his suite at Stark Tower, his residence for the foreseeable future. The All-Father's judgement for him to repent for his  _almost_ invasion was surprisingly creative in its lack of physical torture and abundance of mental anguish.

Midgard was  _boring_.

When he caught himself wishing for an attack just for  _something_  do to, Loki terminated that line of thinking immediately. It wouldn't do to tempt the Norns.

Loki scanned the fifteen heavy tomes he brought to Midgard. Out of the fifteen, he'd read three and could guess the endings of the remaining twelve.  _Dull._  With a sigh, he called to the Voice in the Walls, JARVIS.

"Yes, Mr. Silvertongue." JARVIS answered promptly. "How may I be of assistance?"

"A sample of the most popular Midgardian literature. Please." Loki added as an afterthought, it wouldn't do to neglect his manners. He hoped the Midgardians had some semblance of imagination, or at least he'd be able to amuse himself by mocking what they consider entertainment. 

"Do you prefer paper copies or would electronic suffice?"

"Electronic?" Loki asked, sounding out the new word.

JARVIS explained the wonderful invention of e-books and supplied Loki with a StarkPad. The smooth screen was much cleaner and clearer than ink-smudged pages. 

When the next Avengers alarm sounded, Loki despaired at the Norns as he dispatched the villain with frightening efficiency. He needed to get back quickly to finish reading  _Gone Girl._

 

**Two.**

The Avengers were hosting an international gala with dignitaries from over sixty countries. Loki dreaded the event, expecting to be called on to serve as an interpreter because of All-Speak.

It was a surprise when none of the Avengers claimed his time nor his skills, despite the challenge of language barriers. Upon closer inspection, he heard a third voice in the midst of a conversation between Stark and a representative from Japan.  

Loki cornered Stark as Stark made his way toward the bathrooms. "What is this magic?" 

Stark gaped and Loki was suddenly very aware of the golden specks in his brown eyes. "If this is your way of asking me to make out in the coat closet, your timing sucks because my bladder is about to explode."

Loki rolled his eyes and huffed in disgust. Midgardians were unbecomingly uncouth. "I meant your ability to comprehend foreign tongues."

"I'm interested in comprehending your foreign tongue." Stark leered then winced when Loki pushed him up against the wall. "Seriously, not kidding about the full bladder."

Loki eased back a bit, but still close enough to feel the warmth radiating from Stark's fit form. "You do not speak Japanese, or Farsi, or Dutch."

Stark arched an eyebrow, impressed and offended at the same time. Loki absently noted how expressive Stark was and fleetingly wondered what other expressions he could pull from the other man. "Been paying attention to my tongue and what it can do?"

"More like what it  _can't_  do." Loki snapped but secretly enjoyed the banter.

"Ouch, you wound me! Better kiss and make it better." Stark winked but then fidgeted as though he wanted to cross his legs but then he would be circling them around Loki. When had them gotten this close?

"Tell me and I'll release you so you may go  _relieve_  yourself." Loki smirked, deepening his voice into a seductive whisper and pressing on Stark's lower abdomen. 

"Unfair!" Stark whined. "Fine, fine. It's a translation software." He turned his head to show Loki the tiny ear piece, exposing the tempting lines of his jaw and neck. "Now can I go?"

Loki removed his hands and watched amusedly as Stark hurried away, impressed both by the technology and the man's shapely behind.

 

**Three.**

Loki frowned at the message stating his StarkPhone's internal storage space was nearly full. He had enjoyed documenting his life on Midgard with photographs and videos, the instantaneous capture of moments was extraordinary. Perhaps he had gone a bit overboard with documenting each bite of the Midgardian pastries he sampled across the city, along with his reactions, from different angles. Or maybe the culprit was the hour-long videos he'd record on his walks, following stray animals and chronicling their days. He was particularly fond of a black cat's routine of sunbathing on top of cars. 

"JARVIS?" Loki waved the phone and its vaguely ominous warning at the ceiling. "I require assistance."

"I recommend uploading your photos then deleting them from your device." JARVIS stated. "They will still be accessible but will not clutter up your phone's memory."

Loki was intrigued. "Explain."

JARVIS offered a brief rundown of how servers and cloud storage that left Loki in awe of the magic, spacial manipulation, Midgardians managed to achieve without spell work or runes. It was no small feat to be able to place items of import into a separate dimension for safekeeping then summon them back with ease.

 

**Four.**

Loki found Stark early one morning, standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows of his penthouse and gazing sightlessly at the streaks of dawn seeping through the darkness of night. He hadn't expected anyone to be awake at this hour. He himself had been caught in the throes of a nightmare, the same one he'd had since falling from the Bifrost. One look at Stark's tense jawline told Loki sleep eluded them both for the same reason.

"I fell." Stark said without preamble, reaching out an unsteady hand to trace patterns on the cool glass. The grease residue on his fingertips left trails that glimmered in the rising sunlight.

 _As did I_ was on the tip of his tongue, but Loki bit it back. Stark's hard eyes and pinched lips screamed for comfort, not commiseration. "You flew." He said instead, letting the briefest hint of admiration into his voice. "An astonishing feat."

"For a mortal?" Stark parried back, his tone flat but his words held a spark of the man who lit up every room he was in.

"For any being." Loki said honestly.

Stark turned, his dark eyes pinned Loki in place. There was something assessing and shrewd in his gaze, concealing the vulnerability underneath. Loki returned it steadily. Whatever Stark had seen in Loki's eyes must have been deemed acceptable, because the man's shoulders softened and slumped as though they could no longer sustain the weight burdening them. "I don't always fly back up when I fall. Sometimes falling is just falling."

Loki thought back to what Thor had told him at the end of the invasion. The foolish Midgardian council had dispatched a deadly weapon and Iron Man had carried it into the portal. He grimaced as he realized what Stark had witnessed in the space beyond. "You were caught, were you not?" Loki asked tentatively, regretting tuning out Thor's retelling because by that point of the story, Thor had incorporated songs.

"Yeah." Stark chuckled, a warm sound that thawed more of the ice in his eyes. "Jolly Green got my back."

It was difficult to think of the Hulk without phantom pains in his spine, but Loki managed. "Then falling isn't simply falling, is it? Not when you have ones who would catch you." He did his best to keep the bitterness from his voice. No one had caught him when he fell, he crashed and then was made to fall again by the cold hands of the Other.

"Well, when you put it like that, I guess falling isn't so bad." Stark reached out an arm, intending to throw it around Loki's shoulders but finding the height different prohibitive so he looped it around Loki's waist instead. "Just so you know, you have people who'd catch you too."

Loki's eyes widened at the ease with which the mortal had read his doubts and fears, then closed them to better absorb the strength and reassurance in the loose half-embrace. He would later blame the interrupted sleep for his moment of weakness. "Are you among those people, Stark?"

"Yes." The quietly direct answer was another surprise. Stark was usually loudly evasive. "And you should call me Tony." He tightened his hold before letting his arm fall away as he walked toward the elevator. "So, breakfast?"

"I suppose some coffee and pancakes would be acceptable." Loki found himself already following before he'd started speaking, his body instinctively seeking out what it missed.

"Great, I know this fantastic place just a block away."

"Lead the way." Loki said as they stepped into the elevator. " _Tony_." He was pleased to see the small grin on the other man's face, matching the one on his own.

 

**Five.**

According to his study of Midgardian courting customs, a meal seemed the most common and popular choice for a first date. Loki observed this from the multiple television programs and movies that JARVIS had thoughtfully provided on this subject. The A.I. strongly dissuaded him from using reality shows for reference, which baffled Loki as he thought a genre that boasted authenticity in its name would be the preferred choice. He did heed JARVIS' advice, though, since the A.I. had not yet steered him wrong when it came to navigate Midgardian technology.

Loki decided on cheeseburgers. Tony had declared it his favorite food on more than one occasion, in interviews, after battles, and upon waking.

JARVIS was starting to name Tony's favorite cheeseburger establishment when Loki interrupted.

"Your offer of aid is appreciated, JARVIS, but not needed." Loki drummed his fingers nervously against his knee. "I, I should like to select the location for our first outing."

JARVIS was silent for a moment. He sounded approving when he spoke again. "Very well, Mr. Silvertongue. I am sure Sir would be delighted to know the efforts and considerations you have put into this endeavor."

"That is the plan." 

"May I then recommend some tools that can help limit your search?"

At first, Loki politely declined but then reconsidered when JARVIS informed him that there were over a hundred businesses within a ten-mile radius of the tower that served cheeseburgers.

Midgardians were truly strange.

Loki revised his opinion of Midgardians to  _truly very strange_  after spending better part of a day on the  _Internet_ , where millions of  _Websites_  were located and covered topics ranging from those of import and those of frivolity. JARVIS was there to rein him in before he tumbled too far down that rabbit hole, a reference he now understood after devouring  _Alice in Wonderland_  in one afternoon.  

By the end of the ordeal, Loki had selected a small yet well-kept diner with prompt service that was tucked in the corner of two side streets and within walking distance to a café reputed to have fantastic coffee and delectable pastries.

Satisfied with his choice, Loki drafted an invitation to Tony. The parchment and ink felt foreign in his hands after months of communicating via texting and delivering messages through JARVIS. But this was the proper way to go about courting someone as precious as the one he was seeking. He pressed his sigil into the cooling wax, sealing the folded paper, then brushed a kiss over the carefully printed name.

 

**One.**

Tony spotted the letter right before DUM-E ran it over.

The paper crinkled and the wax crumbled under the relentless roll of DUM-E's wheels. The bot let out a sad and apologetic beep, plucking the wrinkled page from the floor and handing it to his creator with a dejected air.

"It's fine, stop sulking." Tony rolled his eyes affectionately. "Or if you really feel that bad, go make me a smoothie or something."

DUM-E perked up instantly, happily clicking his claw together as he made his way to the small kitchenette.

Tony smiled fondly after his bot, before turning his gaze to the letter. The letter from Loki.

There was a shared attraction between them, both drawn to brilliance and beauty.

Tony was a genius; Loki was known as a Trickster, a title that spoke of sly cleverness. 

Loki was lovely, dark hair framing high cheekbones and pink lips shining red against pale skin; Tony knew he was handsome, for all of his insecurities, his looks hadn't been one of them.

This  _thing_  between them was shared in silences and stares, but now it appeared Loki wanted to put a name to the simmering heat and do more than lingering looks.

Tony was fine with this development.

In fact, he was more than fine with where they were heading once he read the invitation seeking his company to share a meal of cheeseburgers followed by coffee and cakes. The mix of formal words and casual dining was a juxtaposition that was endearingly Loki.

Tony found himself accepting and confirming the date via text before he realized perhaps he should have called or spoken with Loki in person. Texting was rather impersonal.

Loki's swift response prevented Tony from working himself into a panic attack and ordering a carrier pigeon to rectify his mistake.

They confirmed dinner for tonight at seven.

Later, Tony would deny pathologically checking the clock and JARIVS had already promised not to say a word.

*

"So, where's this mystery burger place?" Tony asked, sliding on a pair of sunglasses as he crossed the penthouse. 

Loki smirked. "Patience."

A moment passed and Loki made no move toward the elevator.

"Let's go?" Tony frowned in confusion. "Are we walking or driving? I can call Happy. Or hey, how about I call Mark VII and–"

"No." Loki grinned. "We have no need for your Midgardian magic tonight."

"Oh, I don't know." Tony peeked up at Loki through his eyelashes and made a show of biting his bottom lip. "I have some magic tricks you haven't seen yet."

"And I look forward to them all." Loki leaned in, green eyes intent and intense. "But first, I'd like to show you mine." He grabbed a fistful of the other man's t-shirt.

They teleported.

**Author's Note:**

> [dls-ao3.tumblr.com](https://dls-ao3.tumblr.com/)


End file.
